Self-contained combined closure and liquid dispensing unit



B. KLElD Aug. 7, 1962 SELF-CONTAINED COMBINED CLOSURE AND LIQUIDDISPENSING UNIT Filed March 23, 1960 M a a n 5 f z a z g 42 WW k Wm wFiG.2

INVENTOR. BORIS KLEI D BY 22%, wmym ATTORN EYS tau .ne.

rates The present invention relates to a novel self-contained combinedclosure and liquid dispensing unit which is adapted to be snapped orotherwise detachably attached over the mouth of a wide-mouth container,such as conventional food cans and jars, and which includes a novelself-contained vent and spout arrangement for pouring liquid out of thecontainer, the outlet of the vent being in close proximity to the spoutoutlet so that it can be closed by the spout cap for storage of theunused liquid remaining in the can or jar.

The self-contained combined closure and liquid dispensing unit of theinvention is particularly suitable for use with pourable food products,as for example chocolate syrup, which are packaged in conventional tincans and jars and which are usually used in small quantities over aperiod of time and must be stored in a covered container between uses topreserve them. The self-contained unit of the invention may be easilysnapped over the opened end of conventional tin cans in which such foodproducts are packaged to facilitate pouring when the food product isused and to close the can in a substantially air-tight manner betweenuses. In this way, the product may be safely stored in its original canor jar until entirely used up and may be conveniently poured from thecan or jar when desired.

The unit of the present invention is so simple and inexpensive that itcan be sold for a few pennies or given away as a part of a sales oradvertising program to induce sales of the canned or jarred product.Simplicity and low cost are important advantages.

It is adapted to be snapped over and off the beaded end of the unopenedcans as sold to provide a convenient and attractive package. When thecan is ready to be used the unit can be snapped off the end of the can,the can opened at one end and the unit snapped back over the opened endof the can.

Since it will fit conventional cans, it does not require any change incan design, the only requirement being that a different size unit isneeded for each can size. The fact that it may be used with conventionalcan designs is important. Combined liquid dispensing and closure deviceshaving a pouring spout and vent system, the outlets of which are closelyadjacent and hence can be closed by a single spout cap, are known, butin every case, a part of the combination, usually the vent system, formsa part of the can and consequently such devices cannot be used withconventional can designs. On the other hand, the unit of the presentinvention is a self-contained one, the vent system, pouring spout andclosure all being contained in a self-contained unit which can besnapped over and removed from the can, as such, and which, when snappedover the open end of the can, is ready for use with no othermanipulations required.

An important advantage of the present invention is that all parts can beeasily cleaned without the necessity of cleaning implements because allparts are readily accessible. Furthermore, danger of plugging is reducedto a minimum. In a preferred embodiment, hard-to-clean vent tubes whichare used in all the above-mentioned known arrangements, are eliminated.

The unit comprises only three or four simple easily fabricated parts,including the cap.

Preferably the parts are made of a flexible thermoplastic material, suchas polyethylene, and can be readily and inexpensively molded byinjection molding processes.

In a preferred embodiment, the unit comprises a pair of spaced discsfitting over the open end of the can. The lower disc has a vent hole anda pouring spout oppositely disposed from the vent hole and extendingupwardly through an opening in the upper disc. The spout is spacedradially inwardly from the opening to provide an escape passage. The canis vented through the vent hole, the flat space between the spaceddiscs, and the escape passage. A relatively small cap adapted to fitover the spout covers the spout outlet and the escape passage. The upperdisc has a depending snap flange which snaps over the beaded mouth ofconventional cans and the two discs are detachably attached to eachother in spaced relation by an integral snap fastening arrangement whichmay include as a part thereof the snap flange. By separating the twodiscs, all parts of the unit are exposed for cleaning.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings which illustrate one formwhich the invention may take and in which FIG. 1 is a section inelevation of a self-contained combined closure and liquid dispensingunit embodying the present invention and snapped over the opened end ofa conventional tin can for packaging liquid foodstuffs and FIG. 2 is atop view of the unit of FIG. 1 with the cap removed.

In the figures, 2 represents a unit embodying the present inventionsnapped over the opened end of a conventional chocolate syrup can 4.

Unit 2 comprises a cover member 6 made of a flexible and resilientpolyethylene, a vent member 8 made of the same material, a cap 10 madeof the same material, and a spacer 12 which may or may not be integralwith either cover member 6 or vent member 8.

Vent member '8 comprises a flat vent disc 14 overlying the open end 15of the can 4. Disc 14 has a vent opening 16a located closely adjacent tothe periphery thereof, a smaller hole 16 at the center thereof and anintegral tubular spout 18 oppositely disposed from the vent opening 16aand extending upwardly from the disc, the spout providing an opening 20through the disc 14 which is greater in diameter than the vent hole 16a.The mouth of the spout is internally beveled at 17. The central portionof the top surface of disc 14 is recessed slightly at 15a.

Cover member 6 comprises a flat disc 22 overlying vent disc 14 anddetachably attached to the vent disc in spaced relation therewith bymeans of a centrally located, downwardly dished portion 24 and a snapfastening button 26 extending integrally and downwardly from the centerof dished portion 24 through the hole 16 in vent disc 14. Dished portion'24 functions as a spacer for spacing disc 22 above disc 14 to form aflat vent space 28 therebetween. The button 26 comprises a narrow neckportion 30 fitting snugly in the hole 16 and an enlarged head 32, thehead 32 being adapted to be forced through the hole 16 by deformation ofthe flexible polyethylene aperture wall, whereafter the head snapsthrough the hole 16 and the aperture'snaps back to its normal shapeshown in FIG. 1 with the narrow neck 30 located within the aperture 16to thereby lock the two discs together in spaced relation with eachother. The button maybe pulled out of the hold by deformation of theaperture wall in thesame way to there by separate the discs.

Cover disc 22 has a peripheral flange 34 depending from the peripherythereof and which is adapted to snap over the bead 36 of the can 4 toremovably securethe entire closure and liquid dispensing unit 2 over theopened end of the can. The cylindrical flange 34 extends downwardlyaround the peripheral edge of the vent disc 14 and thence around thehead 36, as shown. It forms the peripheral boundary of the space 28between the discs. The inner surface of the upper portion of the flange34 has a horizontal shoulder "38 spaced a slight distance downwardlyfrom the disc 22 and resting on the upper surface 40 of the raisedperipheral portion of vent disc 41, the shoulder 38 pressing suchperipheral portion of the vent disc tightly against the top edge 42 ofthe can when the flange 34 is snapped over the bead 36, as shown in FIG.1, to provide a substantially air-tight fit. The inner surface of flange34 below shoulder 38 slopes inwardly and downwardly at 44 and thenoutwardly and downwardly at 48 to provide an inwardly extending bead orridge 46 which forms a thickened portion of the flange and which snapsunder the bead 36 of the can to secure the unit 2 on the can. The flange34 is also snapped over the peripheral edge of vent disc 14 to cooperatewith the snap button 26 to secure the two discs together with the uppersurface 40 of the peripheral portion of the vent disc 14 pressed snuglyagainst the shoulder 38 and with the center portion of the disc 14pressed snugly against the lower surface of the dished portion 24. Theshoulder 38 and raised peripheral portion of the vent disc 14 cooperatewith the downwardly dished portion 24 of the cover disc to hold the twodiscs in spaced relation with each other. They also provide firm supportfor the peripheral edges of the discs with respect to each other andwith respect to the open edge 42 of the can.

Cover disc 22 has an opening 50 and an integral hollow hub 52 extendingupwardly from and over the opening. The hub 52 and opening 50 overliethe opening in the vent disc 14. The spout 18 extends upwardly throughand beyond the opening 50 and the hub 52, as shown, and is spacedradially inwardly from the opening 50 and hub 52 to form an annularescape passage 54 therebetween providing communication between the flatspace 28 be tween the discs 14 and 22 and the atmosphere, the vent hole16a providing communication between the interior 19 of the can 4 and theflat space 28. The spout 18 is centered in the opening 50 and hub 52 inspaced relation therewith by a locator or spacer ring 12 either securedto or integral with the hub or spout and having a pair of slots 56therein to provide communication therethrough between the flat ventspace 28 between the discs 14 and 22 and the atmosphere.

The peripheral portion of the top surface of cover disc 22 is recessedslightly at 55. Cap 10 is adapted to be removably placed over the openmouth of the spout 18 and over the escape passage 54, as shown, to sealthem off from the atmosphere. The cap comprises a top wall 58 and adepending cylindrical side wall 60, which, when the cap is placed overthe spout and moved downwardly to the position shown, is tightlyreceived between the hub 52 and the spout 18, as shown, to seal off theescape passage 54 from the atmosphere. In this position of the cap, thetop wall 58 bears downwardly on the top edge of the spout. The snug fitof the side wall 50 of the cap between the spout and the hub holds thecap in sealing position over the spout and escape passage. Wall 60 fitssnugly around the periphery of the spout throughout its length to aid insealing the spout. If desired, the lower portion of the side wall of thecap can extend outwardly over the top edge of the hub and then tightlyaround the periphery thereof to seal off the escape passage 54 ratherthan between the hub 52 and the spout.

From the above, it is apparent that unit 2 can be easily snapped overand off the beaded opened or unopened end of a conventional tin can. Bysnapping it over the opened end of such a can and removing the cap 10,as much of the liquid content 62 of the can as desired can beconveniently poured out of the can without spillage by means of thespout 18, the interior of the can being vented to the atmosphere throughhole 16, space 28 and escape passage 56, all of which form part of theunit. Such vent system insures free flow of the liquid out of the spout.The remainder of the contents of the can can be stored and preserved inthe can for future use by placing the cap 10 over the spout 18 andescape passage 56 in the position shown in :FIG. 1 to thereby seal thecan for storage. By pulling the two discs apart, all portions thereofare exposed for cleaning. There are no small vent tubes which aredifiicult to get at to clean.

The unit 2 is a self-contained one containing the spout, vent system andcap so that it can be used with conventional cans without the necessityof modifying them. The unit is extremely simple and can be made at avery low cost. Yet it is rugged and long lasting.

The flange 34 may be provided with an internal thread rather than asnap-on bead for use with jars having an external screw thread at themouth.

I claim:

1. A self-contained, combined closure and liquid dispensing unit for awide-mouth container, said unit comprising a top cover disc having anopening therein closely adjacent to the periphery thereof, a vent discspaced below said cover disc, means detachably attaching said discstogether in said spaced relationship with each other to form a ventspace therebetween, said space being defined by opposed surfaces of saiddiscs, said vent disc having an opening therein underlying said openingin said cover disc and a pouring spout extending upwardly from and abovesaid opening in said vent disc through and beyond said opening in saidcover disc, said spout being spaced inwardly from said opening in saidcover disc to provide an escape passage providing communication betweenthe said vent space between said discs and the atmosphere, said ventdisc having a vent hole oppositely disposed from said spout andproviding communication between the interior of said container and thespace between said discs, a cap adapted to be placed over the end ofsaid spout to close said spout and said escape passage, said cover dischaving a peripheral depending flange extending downwardly below saidvent disc, said flange having means for detachably attaching said unitonto the mouth of said container, the surfaces of said discs definingsaid vent space being exposed for cleaning by detaching said discs fromeach other.

2. A self-contained, combined closure and liquid disensing unitaccording to claim 1, said cap comprising a top wall overlying the openend of said spout and a side wall depending from said top wall andlocated peripherally around said spout, said side wall closing saidescape passage.

3. A unit according to claim 1, said cover disc having an upstandinghollow hub overlying and extending up wardly from said opening in saidcover disc, said spout extending upwardly through and beyond said huband being spaced radially inwardly from said hub.

4. A unit according to claim 3, including spacer means between saidspout and at least one of said hub and the wall of said opening in saidcover disc for locating said spout in said hub and said last-mentionedopening in spaced relation to said hub and opening, said spacing meansbeing provided with means for providing communication between said spacebetween said discs and the atmosphere.

5. A unit according to claim 4, said discs being made of a resilient,flexible material.

6. A self-contained combined closure and liquid dispensing unit for awide-mouth container having a beaded mouth edge, said closure comprisinga cover member made of a resilient plastic material and comprising a topcover disc covering the mouth of said container and a dependingperipheral flange extending downwardly from the periphery of said coverdisc and adapted to snap over said beaded edge of said container, anopening in said cover disc close to the periphery thereof, said coverdisc having a hollow hub rising upwardly from the wall of said opening,a vent disc located over said mouth and below said cover disc in spacedrelationship with said cover disc, means for detachably attaching saidvent disc to said cover disc in said spaced relationship to form a ventspace therebetween defined by opposed surfaces of said discs, said ventdisc having an opening therein underlying said opening in said coverdisc and a tubular pouring spout extending upwardly from said opening insaid vent disc through and beyond said opening and hub of said coverdisc, said vent disc also having a vent hole oppositely disposed fromsaid spout and providing communication between the interior of thecontainer and the space between said discs, said SPOIl't being radiallyspaced inwardly for said hub and said opening in said cover disc toprovide an escape passage therebetween providing communication betweensaid space between said discs and the atmosphere, a cap for closing saidspout and said escape passage, said cover disc having a peripheralflange extending downwardly around and beyond the periphery of the ventdisc, said flange having means for detachably attaching said unit ontothe mouth of said container, the surfaces of said discs defining saidvent space being exposed for cleaning by detaching said discs from eachother.

7. A unit according to claim 6, said means for attaching said discscomprising an aperture at the center of said vent disc and a snap buttonextending downwardly from the center of said cover disc and adapted tobe snapped into said center aperture of said vent disc to detachablyattach the two discs together in said spaced relation, said flange ofsaid cover disc being adapted to be snapped over 6 the periphery of saidvent disc to attach said discs together in said spaced relation.

8. A combined closure and liquid dispensing unit according to claim 1,said means for detachably attaching said unit comprising means forreleasably snapping said flange onto the mouth of said container and forreleasably snapping said flange over the periphery of said vent disc.

9. A unit according to claim 1, said means for detachably attaching saiddiscs together comprising snap fastening means at the center portions ofsaid discs for detachably snap fastening said discs together in saidspaced relation.

10. A unit according to claim 7, said snap button extending from adownwardly extending central portion of said cover disc, said downwardlyextending central portion engaging the vent disc when the two discs aredetachably attached together to space the discs from each other, saidflange having a shoulder engaging a raised peripheral portion of saidvent disc when the two discs are attached together to space the discsfrom each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS301,575 Deverall July 8, 1884 1,284,716 Larios et a1 Nov. 12, 19182,842,167 'Iupper July s, 1958

